Radio pundits nationally have been arguing about this for weeks, some for months. Some have taken the side of common sense, but many were infected with ignorance.
I’m sorry, but as great a football player as Cam Newton is, he is nowhere near as good as Vince Young was as a college football player.
Congratulations on the Heisman Memorial Trophy, the undefeated season and your university’s second national championship. But the performance displayed by Newton tonight was mediocre at best. It was definitely nowhere near the spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime clinic Vince Young put on against the #1, 34-game-win-streak, two-time defending National Champion USC Trojans on that January California night.
Even if we pretend that 2010 Oregon was on par with 2005 USC both offensively and defensively (they’re not; ‘05 USC would annihilate both ‘10 Auburn and Oregon), Young still dominated Newton’s production.
V. Young — 1/4/2006 Rose Bowl National Championship Game
- 30/40 (75%) 267yds 0tds 0ints
- 19 carries 200yds 3tds 0fum
- 467yds total offense, 3 touchdowns, 0 turnovers
C. Newton — 1/10/2011 BCS National Championship Game
- 20/34 (58%) 265yds 2tds 1int
- 22 carries 64yds 0tds 1fum
- 329yds total offense, 2 touchdowns, 2 turnovers
Cam Newton was the best college football player in 2010. No doubt about it. No debate, no discussion.
But for the shock jocks around the country to have the audacity to mention Newton with the likes of Young, Tebow, Leinart & McCoy … is insulting.
For some reason a lot of people have magically forgotten the 2005 season Vince Young had that culminated in Texas’ thrilling victory over USC. So it’s not surprising that they forgot about Young’s 2005 regular season as well, when he led the nation in passing efficiency and still managed to rush for 1,000+ yds despite only playing an average of 2.5 quarters per game.
They must have also forgotten Young’s 2005 Rose Bowl performance versus Michigan, where Young was a one-man wrecking crew, racking up 372 yards of total offense with 5 touchdowns and only 1 turnover.
This is what Vince Young was. A winner. 30 wins to only 2 losses in his entire collegiate career.
Cam Newton, you’re a very special player. But anywhere near Vince Young … you’re not.
